MLB Player News

Sampson was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Sampson fared surprisingly well in a spot start against Milwaukee last weekend, giving up one run on just two hits while striking out four over five innings. He gave some of that goodwill back in a relief appearance Friday, allowing a run on a hit and two walks in an inning against the Dodgers, but Sampson may have shown enough to be considered for a couple additional spot starts in September.

Lorenzen fired 1.2 innings of scoreless ball in Friday's 9-2 rout of the Dodgers and also smacked a three-run homer on the only pitch he saw.

It was a highly improbable and emotional night for the 24-year-old, who was pitching his first game since coming off the bereavement list due to the death of his father. Lorenzen pitched out of a jam upon entering the game in the seventh and then hammered the first pitch he saw from Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez in the home half of the frame to plate Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. He's now turned in scoreless outings in 10 of his last 11 trips to the mound.

Wainwright struck out five and gave up three earned runs on five hits and two walks over six innings in a no-decision against the Phillies on Friday.

The veteran righty bounced back nicely after lasting only two innings against the Cubs last Friday. Wainwright did get into trouble early by giving up an RBI double to Freddy Galvis in the first and then was touched up for back-to-back solo blasts by Odubel Herrera and Galvis in the sixth. It was Wainwright's first quality start in his last three trips to the mound, momentum that he'll try to sustain against the Mets next Thursday.

Cole didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Marlins, giving up three earned runs on 12 hits and three walks over 6.2 innings in a 6-5 loss. He struck out five.

Cole gave up 12 hits for the second start in a row. He also allowed his first homer since May 20 when he yielded a solo shot to J.T. Realmuto in the sixth, a blast that was followed up by another homer from Christian Yelich in the next frame. While he was able to limit the damage overall -- thanks to two baserunners thrown out at home -- the right-hander has given up nine runs (eight earned) on 24 hits and three walks over the 11 frames encompassing his last pair of trips to the mound. Cole will try to bounce back when he takes on the Astros next Wednesday.

Cueto (14-3) allowed one run on eight hits and struck out two over seven frames to earn the win over the Mets on Friday.

Where Cueto lacked in strikeouts, he made up in efficiency en route to his first win in six starts, as the right-hander threw 71 of his 104 pitches for strikes and didn't walk a single batter. Not only did Cueto help the Giants reclaim first place in the NL West, he did it against the same team he two-hit during Game 2 of the 2016 World Series. Alongside a 0.67 HR/9, Cueto now flashes a 2.90 ERA and 3.06 FIP on the season.

Anderson (quad) will be available out of the Brewers' bullpen this weekend and will slot back into the rotation at some point, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

It appeared that Anderson would rejoin the Brewers' rotation early next week, and that could still be the case. However, this report makes it seem like he may not start the next time or two through the rotation. Anderson's role could hinge on the status of his bruised quad, as he has thrown the ball well since the All-Star break, posting a 3.12 ERA over six starts.

Flaherty, 20, hurled seven scoreless innings Sunday for High-A Palm Beach. He scattered five hits, did not walk a batter and fanned four.

Flaherty is among the better pitching prospects for the Cardinals, particularly now that Alex Reyes and Luke Weaver have ascended to the big leagues. Flaherty has a 3.83 ERA and 104:39 K:BB in 115 innings. He does not have the upside of Reyes or Weaver, but does have a ceiling of a No. 2 starter.

Urias is scheduled to start Sunday against the Reds, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Over his 10 starts this season, Urias has posted a 4.37 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. Fortunately, he's started to improve since the All-Star break, as he has a 3.07 ERA over his last four contests. However, with Rich Hill expected to come off the DL in the near future, it's likely that Urias will return to a relief role after Sunday's start.

Alcantara, 20, has a 5.30 ERA and 18:10 K:BB in 18.2 innings since being promoted to High-A.

The sample size is small over just four starts, though Alcantara has clearly battled control problems. He showed massive strikeout potential at Low-A with 119 punch-outs in 90.1 innings, and thrives when keeping the ball down in the zone. His upside is enormous but he won't make a big league impact for a few years.

Kershaw will throw a bullpen session Saturday and Tuesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Kershaw has been increasing his baseball activities over the last week, and will continue to do so with a 25 pitch session Saturday. If it goes as planned, he'll then throw 40 pitches Tuesday. At this point in time, the club still plans on having Kershaw pitch in next week's series Cincinnati.